


Blooming a Bright Red

by Extra_virgin



Category: Video Blogging RPF, 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime), 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Genre: A little background knowledge needed, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Dead Parents, Demon Slayer AU, Demon! Technoblade, Fluff, Friendship, I try my best to explain though, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, nobody asked for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:49:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Extra_virgin/pseuds/Extra_virgin
Summary: The snow was cold. The air around Tommy pushed against him, nearly blew him off the side of the mountain. Technoblade’s body was heavy against Tommy’s back, but he was alive. Tommy could feel the small movements of Techno’s chest. His breath was so weak, but not gone. If Tommy kept moving he could save his brother. If he ran a bit faster then Techno would live. He would because he had too.Because he was all Tommy had left.Updates on Fridays
Relationships: Dream SMP Ensemble & TommyInnit, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 24
Kudos: 198





	1. Burning charcoal

**Author's Note:**

> Nobody asked for this, but lucky for you I'm friends with nobody.

The snow was cold. The air around Tommy pushed against him, nearly blew him off the side of the mountain. Technoblade’s body was heavy against Tommy’s back, but he was alive. Tommy could feel the small movements of Techno’s chest. His breath was so weak, but not gone. If Tommy kept moving he could save his brother. If he ran a bit faster then Techno would live. He would because he had too.  
Because he was all Tommy had left.

\---

It was lonely, living up in the mountains. Technoblade didn’t seem to mind the cold, but the chill always seemed to settle deeper into Tommy’s bones. He used to be able to cuddle up to Philza near a blazing fire, but now his father was dead, and all the warmth in Tommy’s life had died too. And while Tommy adored his older brother, Techno wasn’t a very comforting person. They had fallen into an estranged silence. Techno chopped the wood, and made the food, and managed the money. Tommy sold the charcoal, and cleaned the house, and bought what they needed whenever he went into town. There was barely any need for words, only murmurs of goodbye’s whenever Tommy walked down the mountain to sell more charcoal.  
Today was one of those days when he left the solitude of his house and ventured into the small village below. He looked forward to days like this the most, when he could escape the heavy silence that had fallen over his home. And the people in the village were always nice to him, sometimes he could even help with some old man’s household chores and make extra money. More money was always good, especially now when Philza was no longer there to do any extra work. So today he climbed down the mountain, with a cart full of coal dragging behind him, and hoped that he could sell enough to make Technoblade proud.  
An older woman who had seen Tommy walking in the distance called out, “Oi, Tommy, are you selling more charcoal? I could really use some more for these cold winter nights.”  
Score! If he could start unloading some of the coal this early then the day would be a success for sure. He brought his cart over to the house and started helping the woman take the charcoal into her house, collecting extra money because he was “such a nice boy, always helping everyone out.” And once he had sold a bit of his charcoal people just kept asking for more.  
Before he knew it Tommy had sold almost the entire cart. It had taken nearly all day, but with the cold coming on everyone wanted to stock up. The walk back up to his home would be harder to navigate in the dark, but Tommy knew the path well. Even still, it would be slow going, and the wind would certainly bite at his skin.  
As Tommy neared the base of the mountain he caught sight of a nearby house. It had once belonged to an old man who lived alone after the death of his family, but it now stood empty. A perfect place to spend the night. The small space was big enough to lay a bedroll down in, and surely Technoblade wouldn’t worry too much. After all, several times Tommy had spent a night or two away from home. So with his mind made up Tommy laid his hoari down on the cold ground and used a bit of the leftover coal to start a small but comforting fire. And with the flames heating up Tommy’s cold bones he laid down and fell asleep.

\---

Tommy lazily made his way up the ridge, the coldness of the day not doing anything to brighten his sour mood from waking up so early. Even the accomplishment felt after selling all of his goods had ebbed away. Now he just felt tired and chilly. So he continued on his journey knowing that at home there would be a blazing fire and good food (Or at least some warm potatoes). But something made Tommy pause once it got halfway up the peak.  
The scent of blood.

\---

Tommy had always had a good nose. It probably had something to do with how strong and godly Tommy was. And he had always been able to put his nose to good use: figuring out what had snuck into the garden, senses what spices had been put into dinner, and finding where Phil had hidden the cookies. There had even been one time where Tommy had ventured too far into the forest and been able to find his way home purely by Techno’s and Philza’s familiar scents.

\---

Dropping the cart Tommy’s eyes widened in surprise and the boy rushed towards the direction of the scent. The direction of his house. The snow slowed Tommy down but even so he ran as quickly as he could.  
When he arrived Tommy saw a sight that he would never forget.  
Technoblade’s body laid sprawled out in the snow, crimson blood soaking into the white around him. Tommy fell to the ground hands shaking as he reached out gingerly towards his brother’s body. He was still warm. He was still alive. Tommy didn’t know what had happened. Techno’s body was arranged as if he had been running from something (or someone). But if Tommy could save Techno then everything would be okay. The older brother’s body was heavy, a crushing weight pushing Tommy down. But Tommy was strong. Stronger than anyone knew. Technoblade might’ve been hardened by years of chopping down trees, but Tommy had his fair share of manual labor. Dragging a cart full of fuel down a mountain every two weeks or so had built up Tommy’s muscles a considerable amount. And Tommy would be strong enough to help Techno. He had to be.  
So Tommy lifted up his brother, draped him across his back, and started down the mountain. The wind howled and bit at Tommy, tugging him away from his goal, but a kid as focused as Tommy wouldn’t be moved so easily. He struggled his way down the cliff steady as ever, determined to not let Technoblade die. Even now his brother was still holding on, calm and steady breaths hitting Tommy’s neck. If he could keep this pace then everything would end up okay.  
Techno bagan to squirm and wriggle against Tommy’s back. Surely this was a good sign, a sign that Techno was awake. He struggled more and more against Tommy’s hold, until Tommy had a hard time keeping a grip on him.  
“Techno, it’s okay,” Tommy’s voice was hoarse and a bit strangled, “it’s okay, you don’t have to walk or anything! I can carry you, let me carry you!”  
Then Technoblade gave one last jolt, pulling him, and Tommy, off the side of the cliff.


	2. A Newcomer

Technoblade writhed and panted on the ground. Squirming like a zombie rising from the dead. Slowly he stopped moving before slumping over onto the ground. Tommy, who had fallen several meters away, watched all of this with wide eyes. As he caught sight of his brother Tommy’s breath caught in his throat. Slowly standing up he shakily made his way towards the fallen man. Was he dead? Please, please, if there was any kind of God in this world, please don’t let Techno be dead. Tommy creeped closer to Technoblade and peered down at him.  
Technoblade’s eyes opened.  
And then he attacked Tommy. Suddenly Technoblade was spitting and hissing and clawing at the boy. The only reason Tommy was alive was because he had been quick enough to grab a nearby stick and lodge it in between Technoblade’s snarling teeth. One minute Tommy’s older brother was half dead and barely conscious, next he had seemingly been bestowed with renewed energy and possessed by something. Come to think of it, maybe Techno was possessed by something or this was an imposter, sent to fool Tommy. Focusing on the scents lingering around him Tommy should have easily picked up his brother’s familiar scent (spices and meat and the woods), but instead all he could smell was the thick scent of blood and burning. Once Technoblade realized that his attack was fruitless he began to grow in size. The seams of his hoari tearing from the pressure. Snarling and Growling Techno bore down on Tommy harder and harder. This thing couldn’t be his brother because Technoblade would never hurt Tommy. But as he looked up into the eyes of this creature bearing down on him all he could see were the eyes of his brother. The person who was supposed to be protecting him!  
“Techno,” tears welled up in Tommy’s eyes, “I don’t know why you’re doing this. It’s Tommy, your brother, your little brother, you’re supposed to protect me Techno.”  
The last thing Tommy expected to feel was tears dropping onto his face. He was prepared to feel the snapping of the stick. And the sinking of claws or fangs into his flesh. But tears? Technoblade never cried. He hadn’t cried after breaking his leg falling out of a tree. And he didn’t cry after venturing out into the village only for his playmates to make fun of his looks. Even after the sickness had taken Philza away Techno hadn’t shed a tear. He’d grown quiet and reserved, but had never become emotional over the man’s death.  
Tommy slowly weakened his grip on the staff between him and his brother. Technoblade had stopped his hissing and squirming and was slowly reaching out to the younger boy.

\---

In the distance a young man viewed the scene before him with apathetic eyes. A demon attacking an innocent civilian? Disgusting. Wilbur would make sure a creature like this would never be able to hurt another human being. He slowly unsheathed his sword and rushed forward.

\---

As Tommy looked up into his brother’s eyes he caught sight of a man just beyond Technoblade. He was falling through the air, poised to strike. Tommy’s eyes widened realizing that the stranger was prepared to attack the brothers. He pushed him and his brother away from the trajectory of the sword, the deadly strike barely missing by a hair. Tommy turned to face the man with empty eyes, holding Techno close to him. In a flash the man with the sword had torn Technoblade away from Tommy’s hold.  
“Wait!” Tommy called out, “That’s my brother, I know he’s acting strange, but he’s hurt. He must be confused, he’d never attack me! Please, you have to believe me. He’s not, he’s not a bad guy!”  
Finally Tommy could get a good look at the man before him. He wore some type of uniform, loose pants that synched at the ends, a black shirt, with a yellow and gray haori. He looked old enough to be a soldier, and he had the eyes of one, but most soldiers carried around guns, all the stranger had was a thin, pale blue sword pointed straight at Technoblade’s neck.

\---

So the boy’s brother had been turned into a demon? How tragic. Wilbur could see the pain in the child’s eyes, but begging would get him nowhere. Had begging protected him from being attacked by this demon? Crying and sniveling would accomplish nothing.  
“Do you think that tears will protect you?” Wilbur shouted at the boy, anger rising within him, “Your brother has been turned into a demon, he will never be able to become human again. You must be hurting a lot, but your tears won’t protect you! All you can do now is fill your heart with anger. And all I can do is kill this creature to prevent it from hurting others.”  
With that Wilbur turned back to the demon caught in his hold. Preparing to strike once more Wilbur was hardly surprised when the boy rose up and charged at him. It was a foolhardy attack, no thought or strategy behind it. And as soon as the child got close enough Wilbur raised his hand, ready to strike him down, only to be surprised as the boy jumped up at the last minute. Raising his head the child brought it down as hard as possible onto Wilbur’s. The force was incredible, and even a Slayer as experienced as Wilbur was stunned for a moment. Surprised by the attack Wilbur threw the boy across the clearing, but in doing so lost his grip on the demon. Eyes widening Wilbur watched as the creature leaped towards the fallen boy, surely going in for the kill.  
Instead the demon slid in front of the boy, ready to protect him. When it caught sight of Wilbur’s sword it lunged forward. Wilbur would normally have killed any demon, without hesitation, but maybe, maybe this boy was right. Maybe this demon really was different. Sheathing his sword he hit the demon in the neck, effectively knocking it out.

\---

When Tommy came to his head was pounding. Hitting the stranger in the head with his own was a pretty stupid move. Looking around he saw Technoblade lying on the ground next to him. So the stranger had decided to spare them. Sitting up Tommy noticed the stranger who had previously attacked them leaning against a tree. Noticing that he was now awake the man turned towards Tommy and his brother.  
“On top of the Sigiri mountain lives a man by the name of Awesam dude. The only kinds of creatures that may know how to help your brother become human again are demons,” the soldier spoke in a flat tone, “But approaching demons without a way to defend yourself is suicide. Awesam is a trainer who can teach you demon slayer techniques, tell him that Wilbur Soot sent you. Oh, and make sure your brother never gets exposed to sunlight, since he’s now a demon it will be deadly to him.” And with those final words the stranger was gone.  
Tommy stood in the snow, looking down at Technoblade he could really view the changes that his brother had gone through, his hair was now a startling shade of pink, and while he still looked mostly human Techno sported a small pair of tusks along with a rather piglike nose (although the fangs were now hidden underneath a bamboo muzzle). _So then he really was a demon._

\---

Standing in front of the beaten down and bloody house Tommy couldn’t help but feel sorrowful. The home may have been full of silence and unspoken words, but it was also the place where Philza had raised them, a place of comfort. Concentrating Tommy put all his effort towards trying to catch the scent of whoever had committed this heinous act. And underneath the smell of blood and dust and wood there was a pungent odor. It had the same burning smell that now came from Technoblade, along with rotting flesh and the sickenly sweet smell of lilies. Turning away from the disgusting and melancholy home Tommy faced Technoblade. Gripping Techno’s hand tightly the brother’s ventured away from their home and into a new world full of uncertainty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that I'm going to try and update every friday! I've already got chapter three written so I'm super excited. As always kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, even if you just have criticism it's always welcome :)


	3. Sticks and Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting Technoblade and Tommy up Sagiri mountain and into Awesam’s home wasn’t the hard part.  
> It was the training that was the real hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, another chapter :) Just a side note, I don't beta read any of these (and I'm not really looking for a beta reader), so if there are any glaring mistakes please let me know.

Getting Technoblade and Tommy up Sagiri mountain and into Awesam’s home wasn’t the hard part.  
It was the training that was the real hell.  
Sagiri mountain, while it was farther than Tommy had ever traveled on his own (technically he had a demon brother with him, but Technoblade, now mute, could hardly give him directions) was still only two or three days worth of travel. And since Technoblade couldn’t touch the sunlight he spent most of his time stuck in a basket, meaning that there wasn’t another person to slow Tommy down.

\---

“Uh, Technoblade? Could you maybe get inside this basket? If we want to keep moving we need to be able to travel in daylight, and this basket will keep you safe,” Tommy asked while he peered down into the hole his brother had dug himself into.  
The older brother jumped out of the hole in one swift movement and fell into the basket, or at least his head made its way into the container, the rest of Techno’s body jutted out. Tommy shifted with an uncertain expression on his face.  
“Right of course you don’t fit,” he sighed in defeat, only to remember how Technoblade had grown in size during his attack, “Wait, Do you remember how you got bigger before? Could you do the opposite, get smaller Technoblade, smaller.”  
Technoblade backed out of the basket, only to leap back into it as he shrunk in size.

\---

However once he reached the mountain Tommy was at a complete loss at what to do. Wilbur’s direction’s weren’t the most clear. This Awesam dude probably lived on Mount Sagiri, but where? Tommy spent a full day running around one side of the range and then another half day making his way through the other end. Finally he found the man by catching the scent of another person and tracking it down to a small, but cozy cabin. And Tommy had arrived at just the right moment as he spotted an older male stepping out of the house. He wore a green demon mask and had a dark lime spotted hoari, surely this was the trainer Wilbur was talking about.  
“Hey, Hey! Excuse me, are you that Mr. Awesam dude guy? Wilbur told me about you. He said that you could make me a big man,” Tommy called out to the man, and watched as the cloaked figure took one look at him, turned around, and slammed the door.  
Tommy rushed towards the closed entrance and started clawing it open. Whoever was on the other side must’ve been holding it closed though, because as hard as Tommy pushed the door wouldn’t budge.  
He almost gave up, until the masked man shoved the door open and kicked Tommy to the ground. Pushing himself up the younger brother gave the meanest sneer he could muster.   
“What was that for? C’mon dude, that Wilbur guy said you could train me, he said that I’ll have to fight all these demons so I can make my brother human again.”  
This sentence made Awesam pause, and turn back towards them.  
“You have a demon with you?”  
“Well uh,” Tommy hesitated for a moment, realizing that maybe an old Demon Slayer wouldn’t appreciate the fact that he had brought one along with him, “I mean, yeah? It’s okay though! He won’t hurt anyone, and he’s been asleep for the past few days anyways. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about, I really need you to train me.”  
Awesam hesitated for a second before sighing, “Okay, leave the basket here and follow me.”  
Tommy looked up in surprise and scrambled off of the ground. After checking to make sure that Technoblade was still safe inside the basket he rushed out to follow Awesam dude. Together they trekked up the mountain, reaching the peak late into the night. The whole journey Tommy couldn’t help but think about how easy this training was, the journey from his mountain to village was harder than this!   
As the two reached the peak Awesam turned around, “You’ll need to make it back down to my house by dawn, if you do I’ll officially accept you as my disciple.” And with that the man was gone.  
Getting down the mountain should be easy enough. It was foggy, so Tommy couldn’t see the path they walked up, but he could smell it! He had already committed the teacher’s scent to memory and could tell exactly where the trainer had gone. Tommy would be back way before sunrise.   
The boy took a few confident steps forward and then watched in horror as his foot gently stepped on a tripwire. A log appeared out of nowhere, slamming into Tommy’s side pushing him to the ground. As he scrambled back onto his feet he set off another trap, sending an arrow whizzing right past his head. Of course this had to be harder than it looked. Tommy could take time to look for traps as he made his way down, but that would take too long. So he did what he was best at and tried sniffing out the traps. Slowly he could smell the lingering scent of Awesam dude around the ropes and pitfalls.   
Tommy still couldn’t avoid every trick and ended up pretty battered and bruised, but he had done it, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon he made it back to the small cottage.

\---

Once training actually started things somehow got worse.  
Turns out making it down that first night was the easiest part. The hardest? Making it down the mountain every other night. As the days went on the journey downwards only got harder as the path got more dangerous. Past Tommy had nearly pissed his pants at the few mild traps spread over the backside of the peak. Present Tommy was facing death itself every single night. The trips before had been meant to slow him down, a pitfall or a log to the side. Now the pitfalls were filled with knives and the logs were replaced with arrows whizzing towards him.  
And those were only obstacles he faced running down the mountain.  
Exhaustion was constant, Tommy practiced swinging his sword everyday as well as his forms and breath exercises. Awesam informed Tommy that there were only two ways to kill a demon, slicing their neck a special type of katana called a nirichin blade, and sunlight. And Demon Slayers could further enhance their abilities by learning a breathing style. None of this really made sense to Tommy, how could changing his breathing make him any stronger? Nevertheless he followed Awesam’s instruction and got stronger every single day.  
This whole time Technoblade remained asleep.  
Nearly a full year had passed since Tommy began his training and his brother had never opened his eyes. When Tommy came home every night after training he prayed to see Techno awake he was greeted with a sleeping body. A doctor had even visited the older boy, but nothing seemed to be wrong with him. (Other than being a demon of course). Awesam dude hypothesized that since Technoblade wasn’t eating humans he resorted to sleeping to replenish his energy. While this was good news Tommy still wished to see his brother again. He had gone through all this effort to help him, and now they seemed to be at a standstill.

\---

One day, when the snow fell down on the mountain again, Awesam turned to Tommy and declared that he had nothing left to teach the boy. When Tommy begged the trainer to help him learn more he received no response. Instead the teacher turned around and never gave Tommy another lesson. He was simply told that if he was able to slice the boulder in the clearing then he could go to final selection, and become an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps.  
So Tommy, standing alone, turned to the boulder and would try to slice it every single day for the next six months, failing every time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So excited for next chapter, I think we'll get to meet a new character every chapter lol. As always kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.


	4. Big Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey boulder!” He shouted, fury in his voice, “You think you’re such a big man huh. But I’m the real big man here you stupid rock. That’s right, it’s me, Big T, and let me tell you’ll be in so many pieces once I'm done with you that it’ll look like a beach.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate writing dialogue, so if the characterization seems a bit weird then I apologize.

6 months was how long it took for Tommy to almost give up slicing the boulder.  
For a half a year he spent every hour of every day swinging his sword, practicing his forms, and strengthening his concentration breathing.  
And yet no advances were made.   
Tommy had reached a complete standstill in his progress. He had come at the boulder from every direction, swung his sword as hard as possible, yelling at the top of his lungs, and every time was greeted by the sight of a still whole boulder.

\---

As the sun peeked over the horizon Tommy walked once more to greet his archnemesis.  
“Hey boulder!” He shouted, fury in his voice, “You think you’re such a big man huh. But I’m the real big man here you stupid rock. That’s right, it’s me, Big T, and let me tell you’ll be in so many pieces once I'm done with you that it’ll look like a beach.”  
From the other end on the clearing he rose his katana and charged once more towards the rocky menace.  
Only to trip on a stray stick and tumble to the ground.  
That’s the final straw, Tommy lies there for what seems like hours, looking at the melancholy gray sky. Maybe he wasn’t really cut out to be a Demon Slayer. If it was Technoblade that had to go through this grueling training he would’ve been able to slice the boulder, pass final selection, and kill all the demons out there within a few months. He had always been the better brother, stronger, wiser, and more lived by Phil. There was really no way Tommy could compare to the elder. Making up his mind to tell Awesam that he quit Tommy closed his eyes and let the gentle wind coax him into a light nap.

\---

Tommy woke up to be addressed with the sight of a young boy, probably around Tommy’s own age, wearing a wooden fox mask. Unable to process whether this was reality or if he was still dreaming, the slayer in training turned over, ready to fall back asleep in the warm grass.  
Until he was jostled into complete consciousness by a firm kick to his back.  
Sitting up Tommy finally absorbed the utter strangeness of the boy in front of him.  
His face was covered by the aforementioned fox mask, decorated in shades of white and orange, with a few black markings here and there. Short auburn hair peeked out from behind the mask, but the boy’s face was entirely sheltered by the wood. He was a bit shorter than Tommy (though most people were) and his haori was an incredibly plain soot gray, accented only by a few small rainbow stripes.  
“Am I going crazy or did you just appear out of thin air?” Tommy finally groaned out.  
He was only answered by a heavy silence.  
“Alright well if you don’t mind, Mr. figment-of-my-imagination, I was really busy taking a nap and deciding to give up on my dreams. So if you could so kind as to go away that’d be great,” and with that he laid back down.  
“Do you call yourself a man,” the figure questioned.  
“What?”  
“Do you call yourself a man,” he asked again, this time emphasizing each word with a kick to Tommy’s side.  
Tommy rolled over, stared the strange boy right where his eyes should be, and squinted at him, “What is that supposed to mean? Of course I think I’m a man, what else would I be?”  
“If you really were a man you’d act like one, you think that a true man would sit and wallow?”  
This sentence finally brought Tommy to his feet, “Don’t say that! You don’t know what I’ve been through. I’m the realest, biggest man you’ve ever seen.”  
“Then fight me.”  
“No.”  
“If you really want to prove yourself as a man you can’t give up so easily. You haven’t even managed to split the boulder yet.”  
“And? So what, I bet nobody could split that rock. I have a sword, not a… whatever you use to break rocks,” Tommy’s words were dripping with venom. He had worked hard for months, training relentlessly every single day for the past year and a half. Then this boy showed up out of nowhere and was acting like he was so much better than Tommy.  
“I was able to split that rock.”  
All Tommy did was continue to glare.  
“And if you want to be able to as well then you need to train more. All you’ve done is memorize what Awesam had taught you, but you haven’t actually put any of that training to use.”  
“How do you know who Awesam dude is?”  
“He helped me to be able to split a boulder like that one down the middle, and I want to help you to. So stand and fight me, prove that you’re worthy to become a Demon Slayer.”  
The masked boy’s words finally reached Tommy. Awesam really had been so helpful, without him Tommy might’ve been lost forever, wandering around with a demon for a brother. He had given Tommy the ability to fight against the creatures that turned his brother into the monster he was now. And instead of treasuring the gift Awesam had given him what had the young trainee done? He had almost decided to give up after all the hard work he had done. Tommy bent down to grab his sword, which had been carelessly discarded in the grass.  
“Ok, I’ll fight you, but first things first, who are you? And what are you doing here?”  
“My name is Fundy, and like I said before, I’m here to help.”

\---

Everyday Tommy sparred with Fundy. And everyday he lost. Fundy, who was a foot shorter than him and only held a wooden sword. He was smacked to the ground countless times and each day returned to Awesam’s house with more bruises and cuts. They would eat dinner, often in silence, although occasionally Awesam would ask about Tommy’s training. Then the boy would step into his room, tell Technoblade about his day, wish his dear brother goodnight, and went to bed.  
Through training with Fundy Tommy grew to learn his forms better, and strengthened his breathing. Lessons that had taken ages to get into Tommy’s head now came to him easily. And slowly but surely Tommy grew closer and closer to defeating him.  
Until one day when Tommy and Fundy stood opposite each other, and Tommy raised his sword.  
When he brought it down Fundy’s mask was cleanly cut in half.  
As the mask separated to reveal his face Tommy took in the sight. His soft cheeks and kind eyes were a harsh contrast to the boy’s gravelly voice and stern attitude. He gave Tommy a kind smile that reached all the way into his soul, and was gone in an instant. In his place was a huge, unbreakable boulder, sliced perfectly in half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, only a small percentage of viewers actually leave comments and kudos. So if you could hit the kudos button that'd be great, it's free and if you decide you hate this story well too bad you can't take back a kudos.


	5. Final Selection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’ll be the 13th disciple of that man’s that I’ve eaten, such a shame that none of you brats can ever seem to cut my neck. Even the one that can before you couldn’t slice me, he was so strong, but in the end, I devoured him too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with regular updates, really excited to share this chapter.

After checking on Technoblade several times to make sure he was okay (he was asleep, so of course, he was, but Tommy worried anyway) and countless reassurances from Sam that, yes, he would keep an eye on Techno while the slayer was off at Final Selection, Tommy got ready to leave.  
Standing at the doorway at dawn Tommy clung onto Awesam as tightly as he could. If he failed Final Selection he would never be able to return to this place again. In fact, he would never go anywhere again because he would be dead. So he savored the feeling of his teacher's arms wrapped tightly around him for one more moment, before letting go.  
His trainer stared at Tommy a moment longer, from behind his hands he pulled out one last gift for the boy he had worked so hard to teach. In his hands, Sam held a fox mask. It was simple and hand carven and eerily similar to Fundy’s. The only difference being in color, the one being presented painted in stark red and white, instead of Fundy’s black and orange. Holding the gift in his hand the student thanked his teacher one last time.  
As Tommy set off on his journey he turned around only a few paces from the cabin that he had called home for two years. He needed to tell Awesam one more thing.  
“Can you tell Fundy to shove it! Tell him I’ll be the biggest, toughest demon slayer there ever was,” Tommy’s voice was loud and taunting, ruining the solemn goodbye that had occurred a few moments before.  
Not wanting to linger too much longer the boy faced towards the sun once again and began racing down the mountain. Leaving so quickly, he left before the slayer could see the rigid stance Awesam had taken on. And as the man uttered a few words they were too quiet for anyone but him to hear.  
“Tommy, how did you know the name of that dead child?”

\---

As Tommy dodged and weaved through the shrubbery two demons raced after him. He was terrified but exhilarated. This is what it felt like to fight actual monsters. The demons approach ever closer, but before they manage to attack Tommy slices one right after the other, blade cutting through the air and into their necks. Heads fall to the ground, before turning to ash along with the rest of the body.   
He had done it. The slayer in training had proven himself as a worthy opponent. All the training he had suffered through wasn’t useless. It almost brought a few tears to his eyes. (Big T would never cry though, crying was very unmanly.) As dawn approached on the horizon hope bloomed in Tommy’s chest.  
Final Selection was composed of 7 days spent on a demon-infested mountain. Wisteria flowers that repelled demons bloomed year-round on the lower half of the range, effectively keeping any creatures placed on the mountain trapped. As long as the future Demon Slayers could keep themselves alive for 7 days and return to the starting point they would be accepted as full members of the Demon Slayer Corps.  
So he pushed onwards through the brush and foliage. As he rushed through the forest he gradually started feeling the thump of something approaching.  
Something huge.  
Tommy saw the gigantic figure moving slowly through the trees. It was slow, but what it lacked in speed it would surely make up for in strength. He made a move in the other direction, it would be smarter to avoid the demon if he could when he saw something that made his heart stop.   
In the creature's hands (well, one of its hands, it had multiple wrapped all around its body) it held another Demon Slayer by his neck. The boy in its grasp had an empty look in his eyes and his jaw was slack. He was dead.  
In front of the hundred-handed demon, another boy was running for his life. Tommy watched all of this unfold, his feet rooted to the ground. If he didn’t intervene the boy would meet the same fate as the one held by the monster. If he did intervene? Maybe he would be able to defeat it, more likely he would perish as well. But if he couldn’t beat this demon how would he face tougher foes? How would he be able to help Technoblade?  
Mind made up Tommy slowly unsheathed his sword and charged forward with a battle cry on his lips. He used the second move in his arsenal of water breathing skills. A quick spin throughout the air, cutting the creature’s hand off before it could catch hold of the boy running in front of him. Tommy turned to face the fallen child, but he had already run off, now he was left alone to face the grotesque beast.  
It was tall, easily 15 feet. The hands all over it created thick armor and, if combined, could stretch out incredible lengths. It was a burly brute, easily the toughest demon that Tommy had seen so far, probably the toughest of the entire forest. And as the slayer gazed up at the monster its eyes widened in sudden glee. The laugh it let out shook the ground, a high-pitched insane kind of laugh. Its voice had that same quality about it.  
“What luck I have,” the demon shrieked and squealed, “looks like Awesam has sent me another sweet little fox to feast on.”  
Awesam’s student froze in his tracks. This demon knew who he was, or knew enough about him to recognize who had trained him. It had also been the first to speak. All the other demons so far had only growled and snarled. In his hesitation, the beast took the opportunity to seize him. Hands erupted from the ground, several winding their way around each other. Tommy was only able to leap away because of his superior sense of smell. And the demon smelled disgusting, the same way that all the others did, like blood and sulfur. As he leaped into the air more hands came at him, and he flipped past them. Before he could reach the monster’s neck, however, Tommy was smacked out of the air and was sent flying into a tree.   
Landing amongst its branches the breath was knocked from the boy’s lungs. The huge brute crept slowly closer to him, scooping him up gently by his haori. As it stared at him it cooed gently.  
“You’ll be the 13th disciple of that man’s that I’ve eaten, such a shame that none of you brats can ever seem to cut my neck. Even the one that can before you couldn’t slice me, he was so strong, but in the end, I devoured him too.”  
Spreading back layer upon layers of hands the demon revealed 13 fox masks. The last one displayed on his skin made Tommy’s blood run cold. Buried in its skin was a small, but familiar orange and black fox mask.  
Blood rushed straight to Tommy’s head, and adrenaline pulsed through his veins. Twisting in the Demon’s grasp he sliced straight through its arms. And before the demon could even understand what was going on Tommy had already reached its neck. Just like with the boulder his slice was clean, separating it’s head from its body.  
The top of the beast fell to the ground with a thump. The smell of ash began filling Tommy’s nostrils, as well as an almost overpowering stench of grief. Sorrow filled his heart. Maybe this thing had killed people; it had once been human too, just like Technoblade. Tommy wouldn’t offer it any comfort, but he hoped silently that maybe in the next life the beast would be able to live a happy life, one untouched by demons. Without giving the fallen brute a second glance he set back off into the forest.

\---

The wisteria really was beautiful, not that Tommy was a big fan of flowers, but seeing them meant that he had successfully conquered Final Selection. In the clearing, there were only a few other people strewn about. Most notable were two boys, one tall and lanky with a myriad of scares, and the other much shorter, and completely blind in one eye. Not one for making small talk Tommy stood there until two girls approached the group.  
They congratulated the slayers for passing the Final Selection and informed them that they could return home. Not wanting to be away from Technoblade, or Awesam dude any longer Tommy raced down the mountain, not bothering with talking to any of the other newcomers. He was tired, and hurt, and starving, all he wanted was to reach home and lie down and sleep for as long as Technoblade had.

\---

Tommy nearly passed out before reaching Awesam’s cottage. He sat on the pathway a few meters away, panting hard and struggling to stand up. Before he could push himself onto his feet he was suddenly engulfed in a set of warm arms.  
His brother’s arms.  
If you asked Tommy if he had ever cried he would tell you no. But after seeing Technoblade, awake and not a shell of a body, tears sprung to eyes. The flow of his tears became harder to prevent as his teacher also approached him. Held in the arms of his loved ones’s Tommy was very glad that he had survived Final Selection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna start including sketches of characters next chapter so get excited for those. Also I'm working on a Tomioka/Rengoku fic that is currently standing at just over 2,000 words (and I'm not even a 1/4 done with it) so if your interested that will be up in a week or two. I post chapters usually right before I fall asleep, so waking up to comments and kudos makes a really good start to my day! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Wilbur will be in the chapter! I plan to work through most of the first season, and I have a pretty solid idea of how everything will turn out. I'll try to update once every week or two weeks, no promises tho. As always Kudos and Comments are always appreciated.


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